Footwear with self-contained heating unit



E. T. BEHNER FOOTWEAR WITH SELF Filed Aug. 14, 1952 June 15, 1954 -CONTAINED HEATING UNIT 2 Sheets-Sheet l m 0m 2 2 m. Ah #w W ATTORNEY June 15, 1954 E. 'r. BEHNER FOOTWEAR WITH SELF-CONTAINED HEATING UNIT Filed Aug. 14, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. EDWARD T. BEHNER ATTORNEY sportsmen and some self-contained means.

like, to prevent the cavity-from Patented June 15, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FOOTWEAR WITH SELF -CON TAIN ED HEATING UNIT Edward T. Behner, Cleveland, Ohio Application August 14, 1952, Serial No. 304,289

1 Claim.

This invention relates to footwear, and par ticularly mens shoes and boots. A cavity is provided in the sole of the footwear, preferably for- .ward of the shank, for insertion of a bag or other container of a chemical which when wet generates heat. The cavity is covered and the cover strong enough to support that portion of the weight of the person wearing the footwear, which normally rests on the cover.

The invention reference to a shoe, but it is understood that it relates generally to boots, etc.

The shoe is intended primarly for use by men in the military service, etc. who are outside in the bitter cold where it is awk- Warm ones feet except by The chemical employed is of the type which generates heat when it is wet. Several such chemicals are commercially available, as for instance the material marketed as Thermat by Bauer and Black. The chemical is used in granular form, contained in a bag. Just prior to inserting the bag in the cavity in the sole of a shoe a small amount of cavity, additional water will be added, and the heat is generated over a prolonged interval of a day or two, depending upon the amount of chemical in a bag. After the chemical fails to generate heat when more water is added, it is discarded and a fresh bag of chemical is used.

The container for the chemical will ordinarily be made of cloth or other water-penetrable material. After adding the water to the container it may be put in a bag or sheath but this is not necessary.

is no other vent for the steam, it will be vented between the cover and the top edge of the cavity. The cavity may be located in the ordinary sole,

will be described with particular 2 or a special sole may be provided above the ordinary sole and the cavity may be formed init. The walls of the. cavity will ordinarily be of leather, but may be made of plastic, wood, or even metal or the like. r

The footwear may be of any design. It may be a boot, or a shoe or the like. The sole may be oi leather, rubber or of a synthetic composition, etc. The shoe may be fur-lined and water-proofed, although this is not necessary. For simplicity, the drawings illustrate a shoe with a leather upper.

The invention will be further described in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which- Fig. 1 is the side view of a shoe partly broken away to show the cavity and the container of chemical inside of it; 1

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a view in perspective of a bag of the chemical in a rubber cover;

Fig. 5 is a view of an alternative arrangement with the cavity above the ordinary sole; I

Fig. 6 is a section on the line 66 of Fig. 5;

Fig. '7 is a section on the line l-7 of Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is an elevation of another construction, partly broken away; and

Fig. 9 is a section on the line 9-9of Fig. 8.

For the purpose of illustration Fig. 1 shows an ordinary shoe such as may be worn by a work- The upper I is stitched to the sole 2 in The cavity 5 is cut down into the leather of the sole. The insole 6 covers the hole and binds the edges of the upper. It is formed in the usual way except that it is cut laterally along the line 40 and two side cuts ll (Fig. 3) are made in it to form the cover l2 which can be lifted along the edge In. The tab l3 of leather or cloth or the like facilitates lifting the cover to gain access to the cavity 5.

Inside the cavity is the cloth container IS in The cavity is preferably located directly under the ball of the foot, so that the person's a is pressing against the cover as he walks, and conductance of the heat from the chemical to the person is thereby facilitated. Ordinarily each bag will contain about one-quarter or onehalf of a cubic inch of the chemical. The container is preferably formed from a relatively heavy cloth bag i5, approximately the size of a tea bag, which is sewn closed after the chemical has been put into it. To facilitate removal of the container from the cavity a tab 19 is fastened to it. The cavity can be kept free from traces of chemical solution by inserting the bag in the cover 20 of rubber or other water impermeable material before putting it in the cavity.

When the owner of the shoe is going out into the bitter cold he puts a little water on the bag, less than a teaspoonful. the bag in his fingers to distribute the water more or less uniformly in the chemical. The bag is cover I2 is lifted andthe sheathed container is inserted in the cavity 5. The cover is then closed. The shoe is then worn as any other shoe.

The heat generated by wetting the chemical may raise the temperature of the bag and its contents to around 180 F. However, this is not harmful. The cover l3: prevents the. wearers foot from coming in direct contact with the hot bag. The cold of the ground or-the snow or ice dissipates heat quite rapidly from the The heat radibottom of the sole of the shoe. ates out from the cavity so that although the greatest heat is more or less localized, there is a general warming of the sole of the foot, or at least the forward part 01' the sole. the wearers foot never gets any hotter than a toasty. warm.

When located just forward of the shank of the sole, as illustrated in Fig. l, the cavity warms the blood circulating to the toes and is strategically located to prevent frostbite. If located at the heel the heat will be diffused to the sole of the foot, but the foot will not be warmed as effectively as'when the heating bag is located immediately forward of the shank.

The shape of the cavity may vary and its'size will in general depend upon the amount of chemical which is to be employed. If a shoe is to be worn by a sportsman who is to be out in the weather only a part of a day, sary to provide as large a cavity as in the shoe of a person who is to wear the shoe continuously for a period of eighteen hours or more. If the cavity is appreciably larger than. the bagof chemical, heating is not as efficient as when the bag or chemical fits snugly in the cavity.

Figures 1-3 show a relatively narrow cavity, and the cover is no wider than the cavity. The cover is not separated from the. forward part of the insole and the forward portion of it is supported by the insole. The ledge 21 at the rear edgeof the cavity supports the rear edge ofthe cover. The cover is made. of stiff insole material so that it does not sag'when a person's weight is placed on it.

The cavityneed not be built into the ordinary sole but may be built into a sole which is superimposed on the ordinary sole. Thus, in Figs. 5-7 the cavity is provided in a secondary sole 3| which is supported by the ordinary sole 32. The cavity of Fig. 5 is shown as somewhat longer than the cavity of Fig. 1.

He manipulates then inserted inthe rubber sheath. The i The sole of it is not neces- The cover of the cavity is made of two parts 34 and 35 which are suitably united. The part 34 is a leather covering which extends clear to the toe of the shoe. The part 35 is a stiff leather which is ordinarily the same composition as the secondary sole 3|. It is severed from the secondary sole along its front edge 31 and is supported by the insole or part 34 which serves as a hinge. The rear edge of the cover is beveled and rests fiat against the surface of that portion of the secondary sole 3| which is just to the rear of the cavity. As shown in Figs. 6 and '7, this cover is wider than the cavity and is supported atthe sides as well as at the rear. This makes the cover very strong and it easily supports the weight of the-wearer.

The structure shown in Figs. 8 and 9 provides a cavity 40 in the sole 4|. The cover 42 is removable. The central portion 43 of the cover is thicker than the edges 44 and fits down into the cavity. It holds the cover. in position. The tab 45 which is fastened to the cover in any usual manner facilitates its removal from the shoe. Instead of the cover being built with a thick center to fit down into the cavity, it may be provided around the edge of its under surface with a bead which fits down into a complementary groove in thesole of the shoe; or the under surface of the cover may be formed with a groove which fits over a bead on the sole of the shoe. Anymeans may be provided for holding the cover in place in the shoe.

The cavities 39 and. 43 of the respective modifications shown in Figs. 5-7 and 8-9 are filled with acontainer of the moist chemical when the shoes are to be worn in the cold.

Although the cavity is shown as located-forward of the instep, this is not necessary, although it is preferably and imparts heat to the most advantageous part of the sole of the wearers foot. The size of the cavity will generally be limited to holding a bag containing the required amount of chemical, because a cavity largerthan required to hold the desired amount of chemical will-result in heat loss and will not make the shoe as serviceable or the heating as efficient as a cavity which just comfortably receives the bag of' chemical.

What I claim is:

Footwear having in the sole and forward of the shank thereof a cavity, an openable cover between the cavity and the interior of the footwear, and in the cavity a water-penetrable container having therein a chemical which generates heat when wet and which snugly fills the cavity and presses against the cover thereof, the container being removable from the cavity. with the chemical therein.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,220,439 Block Nov. 5, 1940 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 122,981 Switzerland Oct. 1'7, 192'? 409.657 France Feb. 23, 1910 

